"Nice to be home," Tony said sarcastically as the hired car pulled into the long driveway.
He was still cuffed, dying for a pee and had an even more urgent desire to scratch his nose. Altogether his uncomfortable situation was making him very cranky and difficult to live with. Of course his enforced companions and the rather bumpy landing into Republic airport, Long Island's very own strip reserved for the super-rich could also have something to do with it. The Pilot didn't seem too bothered by his predicament either, though anybody who transports a hand cuffed man without question probably isn't too bothered about much more than collecting his fee.
They stopped in front of the high gates guarding the immediate exterior of the property. He could see the house beyond and noted time hadn't treated it well at all. A few windows were broken and a trailing bush had overgrown, covering at least two thirds of the left side of the house. Most notable of all was the sign and pad lock on the gate denoting it as 'repossessed by the US government'.
Miller got out, producing a pair of bolt cutters from somewhere and solved that problem with a quick snip. He returned quickly to the car once the gate's where fully open and continued up the driveway towards the house. Tony stared at the home he once knew and, knowing what was about to happen could never be considered as a positive experience, tried to remember the happier times he'd spent there.
"Tony? You okay?" Shauna poked him in his side.
Since landing she'd returned to her flirty, playful persona. Acting as if she and her until recently estranged father hadn't just kidnapped him and flew him across the country to help find some money he hadn't even known existed until a few days ago.
"I'm fine," he whispered to her, wishing it were true.
The sun was nearly fully up and was casting a strange orange glow that bounced across the unkempt lawn as they pulled up.
"You know what I expect of you Anthony," Miller turned to look at him in the back seat.
With Shauna next to him and Miller driving it was hard not to feel like a little kid again. He was just as scared and alone now as he was back then. Trying not to think about what Miller expected Tony climbed out of the car without a word, his confused emotions over being here again intense.
"Kind of hard to do anything with my hands tied behind my back." He planted his feet, making it clear he wouldn't take another step.
Miller must have seen the determination on his face, or he didn't see him as much as a flight risk given they were miles from the nearest neighbours and he was as weak as a kitten after the horrendous flight up here in the pouring rain. He undid the cuffs with a silent warning that he wouldn't hesitate to shoot him if he tried anything. Not that that outcome would bother Tony much right now, the only reason he was still moving was because Gibbs had taught him never to give up, always fight. He felt it would be disrespectful if he went against Gibbs' rules now, after all he'd done to try and prevent this very situation from happening.
Leading the way Tony opened the large double doors and walked inside, he looked around and saw it was just as he remembered leaving it, nothing had been touched since they'd left.
"Wow, when the FBI seizes a place they really let it go to the dogs." He ran his finger through an inch of dust covering the mantle, accidentally knocking a baby photo of him off to hit the floor, breaking the glass.
No one reacted to the sound, Miller and Shauna where looking around in the same way he was, having had their own memories of the place the DiNozzo family once called home. They hadn't been a family here a very long time mind you, less than a third of his childhood in fact. Baring that fact in mind Tony wandered freely from room to room attempting to keep an open mind, which was hard to do when memories from his session with Mary where still fresh in his mind and distracting him from the fact he was being held against his will.
"You okay." Shauna came up on his side.
Tony slowly turned to look at her and acknowledged her seemingly genuine concern. Studying her he wondered what happened to push her to this kind of drastic action.
"Move it," Miller insisted coming up behind them, "This isn't a reminiscing tour, we get what we're here for and go."
"Well that's kind of difficult since I've no idea what I'm here for." He smiled sharply and anything but friendly, utilising his ability to use a smile as a weapon.
"Find the money," Miller lashed out, grabbing his collar and pushing him up against the wall cracking his head his head against it.
"I'm not going to help you." Tony eased out of his grasp, fighting to keep calm, knowing any fight he started he couldn't possibly finish.
Miller dropped his hands, only to a fake a walk away and turn back to kick him in the shins, sending him crashing to the floor.
"I'm offering to take care of you Tony, like your father should have." Miller kicked him again and again, this time in the stomach making Tony curl into himself. "I protected you twenty-five years ago and I'm willing to protect you again, but if you don't want my help that's fine, go back to NCIS and face your co-workers, explain how you let their precious boss die."
Tony coughed into his hand, having it come away bloody. "You're pretty tough for an old guy."
"Dad," Shauna childe, "he's hurt."
"He's fine. Aren't you kid?" Miller clapped him on his back, acting like he hadn't just kicked the living shit out of him.
Tony closed his eyes and tried to regroup, but his mind wandered away and the last image he saw before passing out was Gibbs falling to the floor clutching his chest. When he opened his eyes again a familiar face was looking down at him.
"Ducky?" Tony squeaked, blinking to clear his sight, "What's going on?"
"My dear boy how could you?" He whispered before walking away looking disappointed.
"What?" Tony sat up immediately and ran after him, "Ducky wait!"
His call fell on death ears and unable to keep up Tony stumbled, landing heavily on his knees as his legs jellied out on him.
"Tony!" A voice called from behind.
"Kate?" He rubbed his eyes, trying to confirm it really was her walking down the elaborate staircase, "is that you?"
"You did this Tony, you're so stupid and immature I told you someone would get hurt because of you."
Kate shook her head in that way which told Tony she was secure in her superiority over him. He blinked several times, not understanding why she would say such a thing to him. Despite her teasing he'd always thought Kate secretly liked him, otherwise…
"You killed him Tony." Another voice came out of the dark, breaking his thought processes. "This is All. Your. Fault."
"Abby I'm sorry!" Tony tried to catch her before she disappeared like the others, but fell to his knees before he could reach her, sending searing pain all the way through his body until it reached his head.
When he opened his eyes McGee was stood before him, just within the shadows.
"Probie" he called out to him, extending a hand indicating he needed help to stand up, but McGee turned his back on him without a word and walked away.
Tony scrambled to his feet on his own, pushing through the pain and tried to chase him, but the orange NCIS corridor seemed to expand before him.
"Probie!"
"Tony!"
Tony's eyes shot open, his breathing quick and irregular. "What happened?"
"You passed out." Shauna helped him sit up.
He frowned and felt the throbbing lump on the back of his head, hand coming away bloody.
"I think your dad had a hand in that." He grimaced, seeing that he'd never left the DiNozzo living room
"Get the hell up," Miller shouted back at him walking into the room, "we don't have time for naps."
"Dad, you really hurt him this time," Shauna began to protest, her confident tone wavering in the presence of her dad.
"This time?" Tony repeated suddenly, catching onto what she had just said.
Miller backhanded him before he could ask again, splitting his lip.
"Now he's hurt!" He shouted at Shauna.
Shauna stood up before Tony could even guess at what had just happened, "Don't you touch him again!"
Miller stared at his daughter, betrayal strong in his angry gaze. Tony watched them face off, but could do nothing about it, still reeling from his own recently sustained injuries he was too exhausted to get between their family scrabble. His head was hurting again too. Cupping his nose and seeing the blood a memory sprung uninvited in his mind. There was a flash of that wavy lined tattoo on an arm holding him around his neck and someone else hit him in the face. Tony came back to reality with a gulp, using his already stained T to mop up some of the blood now oozing from his head, nose and lip. Gibbs had been right this was a stupid plan.
"Boss please don't be dead I need you, I can't get out of this alone." He whispered pulling up his knees and feeling his pockets for something that might help plug the bleeding without him having to strip out of his clothes.
His hands wrapped around something and he pulled out a folded piece of paper. Opening it he read the short message, remembering it as the note Gibbs had given him only that morning upon arresting his dad.
"Rule 8" He said with sad regret and a hint of nostalgia.
Well he'd broken that rule. He was afraid, after all his spouting about leaving the team, because of this he'd taken them for granted, taken Gibbs for granted and there would be no taking it back. What he had at NCIS, the support and protection, he should have been honoured to have and taken it as the gift that it was. These people cared enough to put their lives on hold for him and all he'd done was be stupid and selfish in return. It needed to stop. Gibbs might be dead, but then he might not be, he might still rescue him, but then he might not, Tony having burned those bridges by disobeying a direct order. Whichever way it was, Tony knew he needed to do his best and keep himself alive. He needed to not take the actually quite wonderful life and family he did have for granted ever again if he was lucky enough to get it back.
Standing up Tony interrupted the staring contest and purposefully made his way into his father's office, Shauna and Miller on his heels. He wasn't sure, but his gut was drawing him in, one thing he did remember like it was yesterday was that this was where it had all began.
"Tony?" Shauna asked after a minute of him staring around the large room with the giant oak desk.
Tony blinked, it was disorienting standing before the desk without having first poured his father a drink and preparing to stutter through a recount of his school day. He glanced at Miller stood looking impatient off to the side and tried to remember why it was he thought this room was important.
"Hannigan didn't hurt me." He whispered to himself almost like a chant, trying to rekindle the memory he'd recovered under hypnosis.
The sudden click of a gun broke the silence, indicating they had company. All three immediately turned as one towards the open doorway.
"No, that was me." Bell purred, gun cocked and aimed at Tony, blocking their only exit.
Miller stepped forward, obviously surprised to see him, "What are you d -"
Bell shot him before he could finish his sentence, flinging him back into the wall to slide silently to the floor after only the one bullet. He aimed at Shauna next when she screamed.
"Shouldn't trust a dancing girl, Tony." Bell winked at him and went to squeeze the trigger again.
"Stop!" Tony shouted, stepping in front of Shauna, blocking the shot.
"Get out of the way kid." Bell snarled, moving around trying to get a shot, Tony matching each and every step until he once again found himself facing the desk instead of the door. "I'm going to kill her anyway don't make this more difficult than it has to be."
"You'll have to shoot me first, oh wait you can't!" Tony purred, "You need me to tell you where the money is."
"I don't need you, I want you dead!" Bell shouted, "You're the reason I got sent to that hell hole in the first place!"
Bell continued to rant at him about things Tony had no idea about, though it sounded as though he'd spent a good part of the last twenty odd years locked up, which, if he really wasn't after the money, explained why this madman hadn't come after him until now.
"Ever get that feeling you've completely misjudged a situation?" He whispered to Shauna standing closely behind him.
"Tony what the hell are you doing?"
"Saving your life," he quickly whispered back before speaking in a louder tone to Bell, showing more of his nervousness than he would have liked. "You should put your weapon down."
"That's a good idea."
Tony nearly dropped upon hearing the newest voice to join their little party. It was so comfortingly familiar and steady, strong like always. Spinning around to see him standing before them, gun in hand aimed straight at Bell, Tony actually had to fight the urge not to cry.
TBC…
A/N: 2 in one night ;) ttfn